History and Philosophy Of Science | History of Skepticism
X323 | 12277 | Carl Pearson

History of Skepticism
Skeptical modes of thought have played a subtle but powerful role in
Western intellectual, religious and scientific cultures. This class
examines that role historically, considering ancient Greek, Early
Modern and contemporary skeptical claims. Topics include:
critiques of knowledge/objectivity (ancient and modern), anarchist
critiques of science, fideism and the skeptical crisis of the
Reformation, so-called Higher Biblical Criticism and the emergence
of Secular modes of thought, standpoint epistemologies, and
constructivist theories of science. Primary and secondary texts
will be assigned, including (alphabetically): Bloor, Descartes,
Feyerabend, Haraway, Plato, Popkin, Sextus Empiricus.